MCGRAW/KOKOSING INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, MCGRAW/KOKOSING INC. — a industry sector 00 facility located at 1801 CRAWFORD ST., MIDDLETOWN, OH 45043 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 36 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $476,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 1994-04-20.

Cumulative penalties significantly exceed the national median for OSHA enforcement actions. The penalty amount suggests multiple high-gravity citations, indicating conditions that presented a substantial probability of death or serious physical harm to employees.

State Context: Within OH, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 91,405 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,818.37.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 36 citations spanning 4 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 10 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 5 unclassified — A technical violation that does not fit neatly into the standard classification categories.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning August 13, 1994 with the latest abatement deadline set for December 31, 1994. Of the 36 total citations, 15 (42%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $476,000.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $13,222.22 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 1994 inspection of McGraw/Kokosing Inc. revealed a catastrophic failure in fundamental life-safety protocols, evidenced by an extraordinary $476,000 penalty that far exceeded industry norms for the mid-1990s. The citation profile centered on two high-risk domains: Permit-Required Confined Spaces (1910.146) and Control of Hazardous Energy (1910.147). The presence of multiple "Willful" (Type U) violations, each carrying the maximum statutory penalty of $49,000, underscored a management culture that knowingly bypassed critical safety barriers. Specifically, the failure to provide adequate rescue services, entry permits, and atmospheric monitoring meant workers were sent into potentially lethal environments without a viable means of egress or survival in an emergency. Furthermore, the systemic neglect of Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures, particularly regarding the verification of energy isolation, indicated that the facility operated with a reckless disregard for mechanical and electrical hazards. The integration of Process Safety Management (PSM) violations under 1910.119 suggests these failures occurred within complex industrial systems where the margin for error is non-existent. This enforcement action signaled a profound management system collapse, where safety was subordinated to operational speed. The severity and repetitive nature of the willful citations established a clear predicate for potential criminal referral under Section 17(e) of the OSH Act, had a fatality occurred, as they demonstrated a conscious and intentional disregard for the law.